Arlington’s Sgt. Stigler died a hero in Iraq

A young man from Arlington died in Iraq on Sunday.

Sgt. Allen Stigler Jr. was 22, a 2013 graduate of Timberview High School and close to finishing his first deployment with the U.S. Army.

According to the Pentagon, Stigler and Sgt. Roshain E. Brooks of Brooklyn, N.Y., died during a “mishap” when their artillery unit was firing on an Islamic State mortar position.

Five other soldiers were injured in the combat operation.

More than 5,000 American troops are involved in the ongoing war against the Islamic State in Iraq.

A majority operate on heavily guarded bases, sharing intelligence with Iraqi forces and providing logistical support to the fledgling Iraqi army.

As with so many overseas military operations, their presence in Iraq is largely unknown to and unacknowledged by many of us at home.

It shouldn’t be. These men and women are heroes.

Stigler was a child when the U.S. was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, and a child still when the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003.

While the war in Iraq officially ended in 2011, President Obama sent troops back to support Iraqi forces after major cities began falling to the Islamic State.

With U.S. military support, Iraqi forces have pushed terrorists out of strongholds like Mosul.

The Iraqis owe Stigler and his brothers and sisters in arms a debt of gratitude.

So do we. We honor his sacrifice.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Arlington’s Sgt. Stigler died a hero in Iraq."